The Old Heart Can Still Beat and Still Be Broken
by Houkanno Yuuhou
Summary: Answer to Kristine Batey's unrequited loveunusual pairings challenge. For those who don't know, she is the creator behind the American Inuyasha doujinshi, The Hero in the 21st Century (www.hibernatingbats.com).


One of my answers to the unrequited love challenge thrown out by Bachan. Pairings? Well, slightly unusual, and I'm not even certain if it's been done before. Eh, who knows, right? Length? Well, as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words….

****

The Old Heart Can Still Beat and Still Be Broken

As a young girl, she was certain she'd annoyed her sister to no end, in that way that only sisters can. Sure, their bickering was an everyday routine; an occurrence that was still going strong as her sister had strolled into the hut just the other day, demanding more information about things that couldn't possibly be known. She had this nagging feeling that the walking pot of clay that now housed a portion of her sister's soul was toying with her, as her living sister had once done. After all, their sarcastic ribbing of each other had been a common occurrence as well. 

Still, she loved her older sister, as sisters do, even if her older sister was now _younger _than her--something she liked to needle her sister with every time the pot made her appearance. 

One could call her jealous, she supposed, but not of the task that had taken Kikyou's life. Oh no…no way in all the hells was she jealous of Kikyou's untimely demise. 

But she _was _jealous of something else. Something of which she had no control over, whatsoever.

Even as a child, she understood that he was something remarkable and that loving him was strictly taboo. However, with beauty as exceptional as his, she could not blame her sister for admiring him. After all, she admired him from afar. Even now, as an old woman, her heart still beat for him, and her jealousy had grown to include the child, Kagome, now as well.

There would never be any room in his heart for her. He'd never seen the beauty she had once held as a young woman. No, only as a youth and only as an old hag, as he was want to call her. Hurtful words from the person she loved. But ah, what matter was it when he did not and could not love her back?

Same silver hair that shone brightly like the moon on its fullest night. Those beautiful golden eyes that sparkled like the sun. Her own hair now matched his in name, but not in color as drab gray as it was. Her own eyes were cold and bitter dark orbs that tried to show no feeling. 

Had he ever noticed her? Ever noticed how her body ached for him? No, probably not. As dazzling as his looks were, his intelligence was ever _not _so dazzling. The boy was half-blind to Kagome's feelings for him, so why would he ever notice herself?

Boy. Ha, how many years older than her _was _he? And yet he was still that same handsome boy that had claimed her heart those many years ago.

He was watching her with interest as she fixed him a bowl of stew. Was he that lonely? Ah, yes…Kagome was off to her home again after yet another misunderstanding between the pair--or rather, make that _trio_ since she, Inuyasha, and Kikyou were not quite a pair. The houshii and the taijiya were off helping out a small village's youkai problems, and Shippou had long since fallen into a fitful sleep; huddled into a corner of the hut, calling out for his parents and for Kagome every now and then.

She handed him the bowl, and he greedily accepted it into his clawed hands. She dared to scrape her finger along a trimmed claw, pretending it was just an accident, and of course, he was too busy eating to pay attention. A small smile graced her wrinkled face as she allowed herself a daydream about those claws raking her back while--

No, better to stop now before his nose caught what bit of excitement her withered body still gave off. 

She caught him eyeing her again. "Yes, Inuyasha?" Hm, that might have come out a tad more huskily than she would have preferred.

His face feigned boredom, but his eyes…his eyes betrayed him. "Mm? Oh…nothing, Kaede-babaa. I was only thinking about something."

He seemed so miserable because of Kagome's disappearance, so she decided to joke with him to get his mind off his present situation--and no, not onto her…never onto her. "You? Thinking? I wasn't aware that these things went well together," she laughed.

Ah, it was working. He no longer looked sullen. No, now he was peeved. He threw his empty bowl at her, and she barely caught it as he began to yell. "What the…? Damn it, woman! I would expect that from the others, but not from you!"

Before she could stop herself, her foolish tongue deceived her. "And what would you expect from me, Inuyasha?" He opened his mouth slightly, then shut it again. "Just as I thought," she mumbled to herself.

"Why? What are _you _thinking?" he retorted, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he settled against the wall.

"Eh," she replied desolately. What was the use?

"What?"

"I was merely wondering what you, yourself, are thinking about," she half-fibbed. What was he thinking about? Hm, one of several things, but most likely about Kikyou, Kagome, or both.

He blushed and spit out his words so quickly and quietly that it took her old ears a few minutes to understand what she was hearing. "I was thinking about what a cute brat you had once been."

Her heart began to beat faster as her mind processed the information. "You were? I was? What?" She was too flustered to even think, let alone speak.

He rushed to her in concern though he shouted gruffly, "You aren't dying on me, woman, are you??"

Slowly, she shook her head and then did something that he had rarely seen her do: she embraced him and then smiled up at him. "Thank you, Inuyasha. Thank you."

He awkwardly returned the embrace and then backed away. "Keh, whatever. I was also thinking about how Kagome is always pissing me off."

There it was. And suddenly, she felt very stupid and very old. She sighed to herself. What was the use? At least she had her dreams.


End file.
